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Briefs: More make-and-takes

By JANET K. KEELER from staff and wire reports
Published May 25, 2005

Two weeks ago we reported on make-and-take meal preparation businesses in Tampa that are making dinner time easier for busy people. Let's Eat and Dinner Done are just two of many outlets popping up around the country where customers assemble meals to be taken home and frozen.

Get Cooking Now in Clearwater 13505 Icot Blvd., Suite 203; (727 538-2665, www.getcookingnow.com) and Make 'n Take Meals in Oldsmar (970 Tampa Road, Suite I; (813) 891-1011, www.makentakemeals.com) provide the same service.

The cost is about $150 to $200 for eight to 12 meals. A bargain on nights when work ends at 5 p.m. and soccer practice begins at 5:45.

Great Harvest Bread Co. in Tampa (500 S Howard Ave., (813) 259-3700) has won the approval of the Whole Grains Council and will sport its whole grain stamp of approval on its breads. The new federal dietary guidelines recommend three servings, 16 grams each, of whole grains daily and most of Great Harvest bread exceeds the recommendations.

To help shoppers find whole grain foods, the council has developed stamps for members whose products meet standards set by scientists, chefs and Oldways Preservation Trust, a food-issues think tank in Boston.

In its June issue, Consumer Reports wades into the diet debate by evaluating and ranking the most healthful, most effective weight loss plans. The magazine based its ratings on the results of clinical studies and how closely a diet adheres to federal nutritional guidelines. It gives top marks to Weight Watchers, followed by Slim-Fast, the Zone, Ornish, then Atkins. The magazine didn't rate Jenny Craig, South Beach and other diets because of a lack of data from clinical studies.

The healthful options just keep growing at fast food restaurants. One of the newest arrivals is McDonald's Fruit & Walnut Salad, which consists of apples, red grapes, candied walnuts and low-fat yogurt. This one's a keeper: crunchy slices of red and green apples, firm grapes and a nice mix of flavors, although we'd have preferred it with plain walnuts rather than sugar-coated ones - the fruit and yogurt are sweet enough already. On the plus side, it's a great way to boost your consumption of fruit and low-fat dairy products. At 310 calories, it's just the right size for a light meal or a substantial snack. The walnuts are packaged separately; if you want to trim the calories a bit, add half the bag rather than the whole to save 70 calories. With all the nuts, the salad has 14 grams of fat; without, just 1. Suggested price for a 9-ounce salad is $2.99.

One of the newest innovations from Zyliss is a soft-skin peeler, a gadget that ensures a smooth peeling motion without nicks and gouges. The red peeler, designed to skin tomatoes, kiwi, pears, peaches, plums, ginger or other produce, has two serrated stainless steel blades (accommodating back-and-forth peeling) that pierce the fruit, removing skin, not flesh.

We tried it on tomatoes and it worked great - taking only a minuscule amount of the flesh with the skin. If you're going to buy just one peeler, this is a winner. Suggested retail is $6.99. Look for it at Bed, Bath & Beyond or online at www.zylissusa.com

Author and TV journalist Linda Ellerbee takes readers on her personal travel and food adventures in Take Big Bites: Adventures Around the World and Across the Table (Putnam; $24.95). The book spans decades and crosses continents - from Ellerbee's childhood home in Houston to England, Vietnam, Italy, Greece, France and beyond - with humor and heartwarming tales. And Ellerbee, who has produced Nick News for 14 years, tops them off with a sprinkling of recipes, ranging from Mama's Rescued Fudge Pie to Linda's Real Texas Chili.

- Compiled by JANET K. KEELER from staff and wire reports

[Last modified May 24, 2005, 15:23:14]